3.0 SEMESTER CREDIT HOURS

INSTRUCTOR - Emory Wilkerson

HYBRID CLASSROOM COURSE – In-class (50%) & on-line (50%) assigned work

404-335-2022 (my daytime office, if I am not available leave a message)

678-466-4712 (Main Campus – Morrow)

678-466-5000 (Fayette Campus)

Office Hours: Mon & Tu – (30) thirty minutes before and after class or by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION: American National Government is an introductory level survey of the American political system in an international context, emphasizing a cross-cultural approach to the study of the structure and processes of policy decision-making. This course incorporates a comparison of the American political system and other types of political systems. This course also includes the study of world geography, emphasizing knowledge of the global configuration of nation-states.

This course satisfies the Georgia legislative requirement for the study of the United States and Georgia Constitutions.

• POLS 1101 American Government Classroom Version, Kenneth Dautrich & David Yalof, Cengage Learning, 2009. 

Acquired Separately:

For your information: (Library or CSU Office of Student Services)

Political Science Program Outcomes: (Program outcomes will be assessed in all examinations and scored assignments.

1. Describe the structure and perspective of Political Science;
2. Demonstrate and practice the research process of Political Science;
3. Describe and discuss the institutions of government and politics at the local, state, national, and international levels;

FORMAT: Class will meet each regularly scheduled calendar day unless announced otherwise. All dates of assignments, tests and exams are posted in GeorgiaVIEW. Dates may be adjusted depending on rate of coverage of material in class. Scheduled regular in-class sessions generally will follow a lecture/discussion format. You are expected to have read each assignment by the date set for its consideration in class. There may be some class sessions composed of group work or guest lectures on the subject matter being covered.

Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. Roll will be taken each class session. All students are expected to attend class each day we meet. Your attendance will be a component of your class participation final grade. Each student is allowed two (2) unexcused absences. Any absence thereafter, without a valid reason (supported with appropriate documents) will affect the attendance and participation portion of your grade. Excused absences will include: (1) documented illnesses (you must submit a doctor’s note no later than the next in-class meeting after returning); (2) religious observance; and (3) participating in documented university activities such as athletics. Please review the class schedule and graded assignments and notify me in advance of any possible conflicts. If you are unable to attend a scheduled class, obtain information on what has been missed from a fellow student, and then contact me if you have any further questions. 

Classroom Conduct: Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that evidences respect for students, the instructor and the learning environment. Students must abide by policies in the CSU Catalog & Student Handbook.

• One (1) GeorgiaVIEW overview assignment
• Three (3) in-class chapter examinations
• Three (3) in-class geography examinations (Fall & Spring semester only)
• Six (6) on-line chapter assessments/quizzes
• Seven (7) on-line short answer essay/discussion questions
• One (1) internet research assignment
• One (1) non-cumulative final chapter examination.
• Attendance & class participation

NO scores earned on an examination, or the internet research assignment will be dropped. There will be opportunities to earn extra points on the in-class chapter examinations by answering extra credit questions.

Students may examine a test or examination or graded Scantron answer sheet in class only. Never take a test, examination or Scantron answer sheet outside the classroom. I will not give the student credit for the test or examination or record the student’s score if this occurs. Any eraser problems on the Scantron answer sheets are the student’s responsibility to correct. When using the Scantron answer sheets always use a #2 lead pencil, otherwise your answers will not be read and a grade of 0 will be entered for that examination or test.

Grades will be posted in GeorgiaVIEW.

COURSE CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS & TEST SCHEDULE

(In-class & on-line assignments)

*Chapters not listed in the course schedule above will not be covered.

GeorgiaVIEW overview assignment: (+1 on final course grade).

This on-line overview will evaluate your ability to utilize GeorgiaVIEW for completing your on-line assignments. A correctly completed assignment will result in the addition of one point (+1) to your final calculated grade.

Chapter Examinations: (20% of grade).
There will be three (3) in-class chapter examinations. Each examination will have up to 100 questions each and will be comprised of true or false, multiple-choice, short answer or fill-in-the blank style questions covering assigned materials from the textbook and class discussions.

On-line Chapter Assessments/Quizzes (20% of grade) and On-line Short Answer Essay/Discussion Question: (15% of grade)

The weekly on-line sessions of the class will consist of a chapter reading assignment with an on-line assessment/quiz or a short answer essay/discussion question, both which will be graded. You will complete six (6) chapters on your own outside of the classroom which will include an on-line thirty (30) question assessment/quiz. The short answer essay/discussion question will be on a topic covered in class or a short reading assignment requiring a short answer essay from you. Each week, you will be required to complete the quiz or the short answer essay question within the allotted time for a recorded grade. You can complete the quiz anytime on your assigned on-line class day beginning at 12:00 a.m. through 11:59 p.m. Once you begin the graded on-line assignment, you must complete it within the allotted time. Be sure to pay close attention to the clock on the right side of the screen which will be tracking the amount of time you have remaining to complete the assignment.

Geography Tests: (15% of grade)

You also will be given three geography tests worth 35, 30 and 35 points respectively, or a possible total of 100 points altogether. Use the required Rand McNally Quick Reference World Atlas.  (It is available in the CSU University Bookstore) to study for these tests. The three tests will be spaced out over the weeks of the course.  Practice geography maps are posted in GeorgiaVIEW. It is highly recommended that you print each practice map and make several copies to study from before each geography test.

Geography Test #1 will cover North, South, Central America, and two of the larger island nations of the Caribbean Sea - Cuba at the Dominican Republic only. Study maps show the lower 48 states of the United States and the countries of the Western Hemisphere. (No other states, no other nation’s states, provinces, national capitals or geological formations are on the test.) There are a total of 70 items - each worth ½ point, with the test worth a maximum of 35 points. You will have the class period to complete the test.

Geography Test #2 will cover Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. There will be 60 nations on the test. Be able to locate the small, but significant nations of the Persian Gulf region. No national capitals, states, provinces or geological formations are on the test. There are a total of 60 items each worth ½ point with the test worth a maximum of 30 points. You will have the class period to complete the test.

Geography Test #3 will cover Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia. There will be 70 nations on the test. Be able to locate Singapore and Brunei - both of which are relatively small and yet quite significant to the region’s economy. No national capitals, states, provinces or geological formations are on the test. There are a total of 70 items each worth ½ point with the test worth a maximum of 35 points. You will have the class period to complete the test.

Final Chapter Examination: (15% of grade).

The final chapter examination will be comprised of 100 multiple-choice, true or false, short answer or fill-in-the blank style questions, covering material assigned since the third examination and the Georgia Constitution & government monograph. The final examination is NOT cumulative.

CSU policy regarding MORE than two final exams scheduled for the same day allows a student to request an alternate exam schedule, BUT the University will NOT allow a change for most other reasons - see the CSU Catalog, or the instructor, if you have questions.

Internet Research Assignment on Congressional and State Representation: (10% of grade).

You will conduct Internet research regarding your Congressional and State Representatives, providing the information required in the assignment. The assignment will be posted and returned to me for grading in GeorgiaVIEW. It will be discussed in class before it is released.

Class participation and attendance: (5% of grade).

As discussed above, class attendance is mandatory. Roll will be taken each class session. All students are expected to attend class and be active participants each day we meet by contributing to the discussion or asking questions. Review the discussion above under the heading "Attendance" for more details.

Missed Examinations: Scheduling for make-up examinations is very difficult. If you miss an in-class chapter examination you are encouraged to email me to discuss the matter. Chapter examinations may only be considered for a make-up if your absence was the result of a verified medical or personal emergency. Where feasible, it is advisable that you notify me in advance before missing a chapter examination. Make-up tests will be given only when verification of illness or some other serious emergency is submitted to the instructor. If a make-up is to be allowed, specific dates for the make-up examination will be set by the instructor. Only one make-up date for a major examination will be assigned to you. The instructor makes the final decision as to whether or not a make-up will be allowed.

Note: There are no extra credit assignments in the course.

Plagiarism: "The Clayton State University Student Handbook 1998-2000" I Academic F. states "No student will represent the work of others as his or her own. Themes, essays, term papers, tests, presentations, and other similar assignments must be the work of the student submitting them. When direct quotations are used, they must be indicated and when the ideas of another are incorporated, they must be appropriately acknowledged." Plagiarism is a form of academic misconduct and carries serious academic penalties as outlined in the "Student Code of Conduct."

If you are in doubt about documenting - DOCUMENT!

The chapters from the textbook covered in class and on-line on your own cover many of the major subject areas of American Government - how the system is organized into federal, state, and local governments and how it functions. Due to limited time, some subjects such as metro politics, economic policies, foreign policy, and the politics of education, poverty, welfare, and health will not be discussed. I regret that time constraints do not permit a focused, in-depth examination of these subjects, and I encourage you to read the assigned chapters of the textbook, find reading materials in the college library, and supplement in any way possible the materials provided in the course.

Please note that several textbook chapters are not assigned for study, as time does not permit assignment of all chapters in the textbook; therefore, they will not be on any examinations. If you have any questions regarding any topic included in these unassigned chapters, please see me.

Students should be prepared at the beginning of each class to discuss current events related to the course. Keep informed by reading major daily newspapers, weekly magazines such as Newsweek, U.S. News, and World Report, or The Week on a regular basis. Watch a daily national news program on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, FOX, or C-SPAN. Listen to National Public Radio, FM 88.1 or WABE, FM 90.1.

In the event a student has a conflict regarding the Final Exam date that cannot be resolved, the student may submit a written request for a change of date of the Final Exam. A form is available from the school or department office. The student must receive approval signatures from the instructor, the appropriate department head/associate dean, and the Dean of the School offering the course. Since the Final Exam schedule is published well in advance, a change of time or date will be approved only for serious reasons and not for mere convenience.